TAXILA: Provincial Minister for Revenue retired Col Mohammad Anwar Khan has said eradication of poliovirus is not only vital to ensure future ofchildren but also the entire nation.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a polio eradication campaign after administering drops to children in Attock.

The minister said it was unfortunate that Pakistan was one of the few countries where polio still remained endemic.

`According to the WHO, only three countries Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria have never stopped transmission of polio.

He said in the Attock district 292,000 children below the age of five years will be administered antipolio drops for which 953 teams have been constituted.

He said it would be ensured that the vaccination teams reached every child under five, adding success ineradicating the disease was only possible when community, NGOs and parents played their role in protecting children from contracting the crippling disease.

He asked health of ficials to involve all segments of society to achieve the target of rooting out poliovirus.

Deputy Commissioner Ali Anan Qamar and Chief Executive Officer District Health Authority Dr Sohail Ejaz apprised the minister of the steps taken to make the anti-pollo campaign a success.

Meanwhile, the minister also chaired a meeting of the District Peace Committee which was attended by district administration officers and members of the committee, including Pir Saadat Ali Shah and Maulana Sher Zaman.

The minister asked the participants to play their role in maintaining peace and religious harmony in the district.

`Islam gives us the message of peace, love and tolerance and we must promote this message at every level,` he added.